Syntactical and Gestural Meaning in

Rachmaninoffs Prelude in B minor

Op. 32, No. 10


Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his 13 Preludes, op. 32, in 1910. In combination with his
previous preludes, this set completes a lifetime work of 24 preludes in all of the major and minor
keys. Throughout these works, there is no clearly delineated form or syntax shared by all of the
movements. However, there are several tropes, both formal and gestural, which Rachmaninoff
utilizes frequently throughout his disparate works.
Frequently, the preludes are in an ABA form: such as the famous Prelude in C# minor (op. 3,
no. 2). The ABA sections contrast in an expectable way: chiefly through tempo, dynamic progression,
thematic material, key area, and texture. For example, the Prelude in C# minor begins with an A
section in the tonic key with a repeated progression of: i II
b
II V i. The texture is entirely
chordal, at a grave lento pace, ranging from pianissimo to mezzo-forte. The B sections contrast is
immediately discernible: its harmony features tonic and mediant pedals with chromatic descents
overlaid (the chromatic descent being the main secondary melodic material), the right hand texture
accelerates into steady triplets throughout at a quickening tempo (marked agitato), and this
acceleration brings the pianist to a dramatic cadenza marked fortissimo. The cadenza leads us back
into the recapitulation of A: with the same tonic key, chordal texture, and thematic idea as the
beginning. A coda brings down the continuing fortissimo and the piece ends on its tonic at pianissimo.
Understanding the formal plan of Prelude in C# minor allows us to remark on the layout of
the composers other preludes, becausewhile the term prelude does not carry much musical
definition other than approximate lengththe piece had a great bearing on Rachmaninoffs
subsequent preludes: it was among his most popular and frequently performed works (even to the
point of apathy on the composers part), and was one of the earliest compositions to be given the
title Prelude (the third, according to the existing Rachmaninoff catalog: the first two were
unpublished and have never held much regard among pianists or academics). Certainly, the
precedent set by this monumental early work was at least in the composers subconscious when he
would pen the subsequent preludes throughout his career. A second case helps concretize the
example: the Prelude in G minor, which composed nearly a decade after op. 3, is hallmark of
Rachmaninoffs prelude repertory. Once again, ternary form is the architecture of this work: a loud,
rhythmically marked march in the tonic key consists of A, while the B section extrapolates on the
dominant at a subdued dynamic level, with a lyrically stepwise melody and flowing textural
accompaniment.
With this in mind, the tenth movement of Rachmaninoffs final output of preludes, Prelude
in B minor, can be seen as a truly distinguished work of the larger oeuvre. Its length may call for
pause in the spectator: it is the longest of the composers preludesdepending on performance, it
can comfortably clock in over seven minutes. Whats more, its form is broader than the traditional
ternary. The opening section is the same as what closes the piece, a simple and melancholic chordal
theme, but what connects the two sections is a deep extrapolation of the construction of previous
preludes.
How Rachmaninoff obscures this familiar architecture is brilliantfor it not only lends the
piece a more ambiguous dramatic structure, but imparts on the music a unifying aspect of drear and
introspect. Though the composer rarely divulged instances of programmatic derivation, a
conversation between Rachmaninoff and Ukranian pianist Benno Moiseiwitch reveals a source of
inspiration for the prelude: the painting Die Heimkehr (The Return) by German artist Arnold
Bcklinthe same artist who provided Rachmaninoff with a programmatic basis for his orchestral
work Isle of the Dead.
The invisible subtitle penetrates the Prelude in B minor, for Rachmaninoff fixes the listener
on a subject with such fleeting musical attributes, it seems to return to haunt every new thematic
idea. This indistinct subject is what unifies the piece entirely. It manifests most obviously through a
rhythmic sequence reminiscent of a dotted eighth followed by a sixteenth: though it is frequently
truncated or made ambiguous by the proliferation of triplet figures:






The examples above not only demonstrate the propagation of the rhythmic motive, but also
demarcate the first three sections of the piece (those not included are an extended cadenza which
serves as closure to the third section, and the final recapitulation of the opening). Moreover, the
rhythmic sequence in its various forms can also be seen to link with melodic movementalmost
always, the short beat is given to a note ascending by major second from the preceding pitch.
It can also be seen that, generally, this motive takes root in several pitches simultaneously.
Given the works great focus on this idea, this gives the motive great harmonic consequences. The
piece is titled in B minor, and certainly isfor the most part. Observe, however, the excerpt
beginning at measure one (given above): the first chord of the piece is E minor, resolving in one beat
to B minor. Then, subsequently, the chords shift back into E minor. The inversions of these are
meaningless: as, in subsequent measures, both B and E minor are given both root and inverted
m. 1 m. 19 m. 38
Fig 1:
spellings. This tendency between these chords continues for the entirety of the piece, effectively
making it a double-tonic work. This is an especially distinguishing feature among Rachmaninoffs
preludes, which usually define a single tonic clearly and rely on its diatonic relationships in the
formal structure. Prelude in B minors joint reliance on the closely related keys of B minor and E
minor are an important factor in reckoning its ambiguous form: for the sections that follow do not
state their contrast as simply as ones separated by distinct harmony. The composer frequently utilizes
chords that draw from both of these tonal areas: such as the chord on the last triplet beat of measure
19 (shown above)which contains only the notes E B F
#
.
Rachmaninoff works within his framework with all of the lugubrity of the atmosphere it
creates. What is striking about the first section, despite all of its aforementioned motivic roots, is the
arguable absence of melody. The homophonic chordal voicing of the underlying harmonies take
from the melodic line a certain aspect of freedomperhaps if it were metrically displaced or in
contrary motion to other voices, it may be more easily regarded as a melodic theme. Absolutely,
there is stepwise motion woven through every measure: but its ornamental nature, undisturbed
rhythmic body, and uniform downward direction give this melody more textural presence than that
of a unique or traditionally Rachmaninoffian melody:


The figure above is a rendering of the net melodic movement of the movements first five
measures. The motion is downward, but the presence of the motivic major-second ascension is an
affront to the listeners ability to feel that downard motion. Again, the motivic proliferation is more
than just a unifierit is a tool of ambiguity. The final four notes of the example feature unbroken
chromatic descent: this seemingly unremarkable gesture is, in fact, one of the most striking figures of
Fig 2:
the piece. It plays only in conjunction with the A-section material, and its stark contrast to the
harmonic and directional undulations of the piece lend the chromatic descent a highly grave nature.
Still, though, the piece seems to go on for significant portions without much melodic activity.
In itself, this fusion of melody and accompanimentlyrics and atmosphereis a remarkable aspect
of the piece. One section, beginning at measure 19 and comprising the twenty weightiest measures
of the piece, is given the clearest melodic material of the whole. Like the primary material, it is
stepwise with net motion in a certain direction (upwards in this case, as opposed to the openings
downward motion). Unlike the opening, however, the melody is accented with octave pitches and
somewhat separate from the surrounding texture. Marked fortissimo, this secondary melody plays out
during the highest point of the pieces dramatic arch. However, it is buried under thundering chords
in both hands, in the middle of the voicing. It bears tremendous weight in its movementwhile the
primary theme would hover around a pitch through ornamentation: this theme will outright sit on
repeated notes for entire measures, laboring greatly before any significant melodic movement (shown
in red below):




It seems obvious that Rachmaninoff was attempting to cloak a certain aspect of this music,
an aspect most clearly demonstrated in melody. The piece, even for Rachmaninoff, is especially
desolate. The gradualness of the given tempo is only slowed throughout, the double-minor-key
complex never giving way to major except for the two penultimate measures. In terms of drama,
form, and gesture: this work is dense. They are all factors in what separates the Prelude in B minor
from the rest of Rachmaninoffs opuses, and simultaneously the substance the piece is composed of.
Fig 3: